Changing times mean new view of troop shows

According to local newspapers, entertaining the armed forces (勞軍) during the Lunar New Year has now become a hot potato that people just can't wait to pass along. The three major television stations, TTV (台視), CTV (中視) and CTS (華視) have not only tried to shirk the task by making excuses, they have also suggested that both FTV (民視) and PTS (公視) should share the burden. Some even suggest that the Ministry of National Defense should have an official budget and subcontract to television stations, through bidding, the production of variety shows to entertain the troops.

The shift in the attitude of Taiwan's television stations and entertainers clearly reflects changing times. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, we used to read newspaper headlines about groups of entertainers performing in variety shows for the troops virtually year round. At the time, the people of Taiwan were enthusiastic about making frequent and generous donations to the army, while local entertainers rushed to have an opportunity to participate in the shows. Many small children even saved their allowance money so that they could donate it to help the soldiers buy military supplies and equipment.

It was a time when soldiers and civilians shared a strong sense of unity. It was also, however a time when the people of Taiwan were compelled to keep their personal emotions strictly composed. Even in the 1980s and the 1990s, people still dared not question the government.

Under government slogans such as "sleep on your spear while waiting for the battle to start" (枕戈待旦) and "soldiers love the people, and people respect the soldiers" (軍愛民, 民敬軍), entertaining the servicemen was equated with patriotism. Local entertainers' participation in those variety shows was raised to a higher plane of principle -- a matter of morals and ethics. Consequently, entertainers and TV stations would never have said "no" if the government called on them to put on a show for the troops, nor would they dare question: "Why is it my turn again?"

In such a time of suppression, personal choices were always buried by the collective spirit. Those so-called "patriotic entertainers" (愛國藝人) didn't really have the right to say no and turn down an invitation to entertain the soldiers. Take Teresa Teng (鄧麗君), Taiwan's most famous "patriotic entertainer," who passed away in 1995, for example. Packaged by the media as a woman who would "forever be the military's sweetheart" (永遠的軍中情人), she tried to perform at variety shows whenever she was called upon, in order to live up to her name. Moreover, not only did she refuse to be paid for performing, she also had to sing love songs, often in a heavy camouflage suit, while standing on top of a tank.

Although the military awarded posthumous medals to Teng for all she had done for the armed forces, society and the nation, did people really care whether or not she had been happy about having to repeatedly sing her famous hit, I Only Care About You (我只在乎你), to the troops?

Recently, the small-volume direct trade between two of Taiwan's offshore islands and China was "decriminalized" (除罪化). Also, former township chief Liao Hsueh-kuang (廖學廣), who was originally given an 18-year sentence in jail, was found not guilty of corruption by the Taiwan High Court (台灣高等法院) a few days ago.

With so many events and people being "decriminalized" today, can't we just give Taiwan's television stations and entertainers a break and "decriminalize" them when they are not willing to entertain the troops?